I'll Love You Forever
by DarthMittens
Summary: Destroying Voldemort puts Harry into a 3-year coma. What will have changed when he wakes up? And will he and Hermione ever be together again?
1. Waking Up

**A/N: So, a new fanfic. This one will be longer than my first (I think). I also like this one better. I know that this story line such occurs quite a bit, but I decided to try it with my own little spin. Please enjoy! (Or not if you don't like the story)**

**I'll Love You Forever – Chapter 1: Waking Up**

**August 5****th****, 1998**

_I smiled at my best friend of 7 years and my girlfriend of six months. I caressed her cheeks and softly wiped the tears glistening on them away. I gently kissed her sweet lips and pulled back to rest my forehead on hers. "I love you, Hermione. I'll love you forever."_

She gave me a watery smile and said shakily, "I love you too, Harry. I'll always love you. Promise that you'll come back to me. Please promise."

"_I'll always come back to you, Hermione. Always." We kissed longer this time, and our tongues came out to meet each other's. We were kissing like it was our last. Of course, that could be true._

_I pulled back, smiled at her, took in her beautiful face, then apparated away to face Voldemort._

**August 12****th****, 2001**

"_Reducto!" Voldemort's head was blasted into a fine pink mist. The battle was over, I won. Then why was everything going black?_

I opened my eyes and was greeted by the sight of a dark, but clearly a pristine white, room. _I must be in St. Mungo's_. I remembered the last battle clearly, in fact I had just been dreaming about it. I found myself wondering how long I had been sleeping after passing out following my victory of Voldemort.

I sat up, put on my glasses, and saw a ton of get-well cards and balloons resting on a table in the corner of the room. It must've been late considering how dark it was. I performed a medical check on myself and found that I felt perfectly fine. I got up and set out for the door before realizing that I was in a hospital gown. I didn't really fancy heading out into the world like that, so I threw on a fresh pair of clothes laid out at the foot of my bed and headed out the door.

The halls were completely as I briskly walked through them. I stopped at the receptionist's desk and looked at the clock. It was a scrolling clock that also included the date, and it read: 2:45 A.M., August 12th, …

I was freaked out. I had been asleep for a whole week! I dashed out of St. Mungo's and apparated to the Burrow, where Charlie's wedding was supposed to take place on the 15th. All the lights were off, which was no surprise, and I silently crept in. I made sure to avoid the creaky steps while going up the stairs and I stopped at Ron's bedroom. I quietly opened the door to the room that I was supposed to be sleeping in at that moment and found…nobody. Ron's bed was empty.

Frowning, I walked over to Fred and George's room. Both beds were occupied by the mischief-making twins. After having been on the receiving end of their pranks so many times, I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. I put a silencing charm on the door so I didn't wake up the rest of the family, and then made my wand emit the sound of firecrackers.

Both of them fell out of their beds in unison, and I doubled over in mirth. George was the first to recover, and he said, "That wasn't funny, Harry. We strapping men need our beauty—Harry?"

Fred and George were staring at me as if they'd seen an alien, looked at each other, then dashed out of their rooms. I walked slowly down to the kitchen and was only down there for a couple of minutes before the sound of many pairs of feet making their way downstairs reached my ears.

I was bombarded by a flurry of vivid red hair. Mrs. Weasley was the first to reach me, and she enveloped me in her patented mom-hug while she was crying. She pulled back and looked me in the face, most likely searching for something that she could use an excuse to mother me. All she said, however, was, "Oh, Harry. They said that you had almost no chance of waking up, but we knew you'd pull through. You always do."

I hugged the rest of the Weasley family, with each of them exclaiming about how glad they were that I was okay, when a whooshing sound came from the sitting room. Ron and Luna entered the kitchen holding hands. Ron's eyes widened at the sight of me, then he rushed forward and gave me a bear hug. "You scared us, mate. We thought we'd lost you forever."

I craned my head to try to catch sight of Hermione, since she was supposed to be staying here too, but I didn't see her. "Yeah. You know me. You're not that lucky to be rid of me so easily."

The Weasleys and Luna laughed. Luna brought her hand up to brush a piece of hair behind her ear, and I could a glimpse of silver on her left ring finger. My eyes traveled to Ron's hand, and he too had a wedding band on.

.

I grinned at my best mate, pointed at his hand, and said, "You couldn't wait for me to wake up? And man, you work fast. It's only been a week!"

All of the Weasleys eyes widened and they shared nervous glances. We sat in an awkward silence for a couple seconds before Ron cleared his throat and said. "Uh, Harry…It's been three _years_ and one week."

Then it was my turn for my eyes to widen. Only one thought was going through my head: _Hermione_. I grabbed Ron's shoulders and said, "I need to see Hermione. Now. Where is she?

"At her house, of course. She moved in next to you. Number 13, Grimmauld Place."

I took off running to get past the anti-apparition wards. I absolutely had to see Hermione. I heard Ron shout after me, "Harry! You have to know that—"

And then I was gone. I arrived at number 12, then ran over to Hermione's door and pounded on it. I waited for a couple minutes then tried again. _She must have a silencing charm around her room_. _I can't believe that I did this to her. Three years?_

Admitting defeat, I sullenly walked back to my house. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust. When I got up to my room, an owl was already waiting for me. _Apparently everyone already knows that I'm back_.

I opened up the letter and read Dumbledore's neat handwriting.

_Harry,_

_It is so good to hear that you have woken up. I would like to talk to you tomorrow. Say around…9 A.M.? We'll have a bit of breakfast._

_Once again, I am delighted to hear that you are okay._

_Albus Dumbledore._

I decided that I would talk to Dumbledore. Maybe he could fill me in on the happenings of the last few years. I would also talk to Hermione tomorrow after the meeting. Sighing, I got in bed.

_Three years…three years._

Although I had just woken from a three-year coma, I was dead tired. I quickly fell asleep.

**A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter either tomorrow or Friday!**


	2. Hermione

**A/N: Just to let you all know, I won't be able to update until Tuesday at the earliest :( Don't worry though, I'll probably post two either today or Tuesday to compensate! **

**On with the story! And remember, always keep faith for Harry and Hermione!**

**Chapter 2 – Hermione**

**August 12****th****, 2001**

I woke up at about 8 in the morning before heading downstairs for a quick breakfast. I wouldn't try Hermione's until after the meeting; whenever we weren't in school, she would sleep in until 10 on the weekends. So I spent the next thirty minutes after finishing breakfast cleaning up the house. Kreacher must have died or left; there was no trace of him in the whole house, and he didn't appear when I called him. Cleaning up went pretty quickly, because it only took a couple waves of my wand.

At 8:45, I got stepped out of Grimmauld Place into pouring rain. I scratched my head and sighed. There's nothing like basking in the sun on a fine British summer day. I quickly apparated to Hogsmeade, where it was, thankfully, sunny. I walked into the Three Broomsticks to say hey to Rosmerta, and to my surprise Dumbledore was in there, talking to her. He spotted me and called, "Harry, I was just about to head up to the castle to meet you, but I guess that isn't necessary now." He turned to Rosmerta and said, "May you please bring Harry and I some pancakes and bacon?"

Rosmerta nodded and scurried back to the kitchen while Dumbledore led me to a secluded table in the corner. There were only a couple of people in the pub this early in the morning. We sat down and Dumbledore and I shook hands before he searched my face and said, "Ah, Harry. It is so very good to see you awake. I feared that we had lost you for good. But please, you must have questions. Ask me what you want."

Rosmerta brought out our breakfast as I pondered what exactly I wanted to ask Dumbledore. I hadn't really thought about it much last night; waking up from a three-year coma can do that to you. What I really wanted to know was, "What happened with the Death Eaters?"

Dumbledore gave me a small, secretive smile, like he knew that was what I was going to ask. "Well, all of them died along with Voldemort. I believe that their life force was tied to him by their dark marks. The only clean-up necessary was to collect the dead bodies."

My face paled. "So, Snape—"

Dumbledore sighed and seemed to age a few years. "Yes, Harry. Severus perished along with the other Death Eaters." I had learned a few months before I faced Voldemort why Dumbledore had always trusted Snape. We actually became civil to each other after that, and although we would never be friends, at least we weren't going for each other's throats every second that we spoke to one another. I actually admired him for his bravery; it made me sad that he died.

As I searched my brain for another question, I realized that I didn't really need to know that much, except for, "Does anyone know why I went into a three-year coma?"

"Ah, yes. Nobody knows the exact cause, but I think that I have a pretty good guess. I believe that when Voldemort failed to kill you, he inadvertently transferred a small piece of his soul into you. When you finally killed him, I believe that the dormant piece of soul inside of you tried to take control of you and make you the new host for Voldemort. I believe that your brain shut down your body except for the most vital functions so that it could focus on driving away the intrusion. And it seems as though it was quite successful, might I add."

That made sense. It certainly explained why I went down immediately after Voldemort died. "I don't think that you requested my company just so I could catch up, did you?"

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "No, Harry, I didn't. Professor Lupin has been the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for the past three years. But he and Nymphadora just had a child and he wishes to retire to spend time with his son. So, the reason that I requested your company was to make you a proposition. Would you like to be the new professor?"

I blinked, taken aback. I totally was not expecting that. "Um, sir—"

"Please, Harry, call me Albus."

"Okay, Albus. Why would you want me to teach? I don't know the first thing—"

"Harry, you were the only person to score higher than Miss Granger in any of her subjects in your NEWTs, and that was in Defence Against the Dark Arts. You killed the most powerful dark wizard in a century, you were a great teacher in the DA, you actually got a perfect score on your NEWT—"

"That was only because Hermione was my girlfriend. I studied harder in the week leading up to my tests than I did in the rest of my Hogwarts career combined."

"The point is, Harry, that you are the best candidate available."

I thought about over the rest of my breakfast, and finally arrived at my decision. "Okay, I'll do it."

Dumbledore smiled at me and said, "Great, Harry. Glad to have you aboard. I will have Remus send you his lesson plans and you can tweak them to your liking." We stood up and shook hands, and Dumbledore said, "You will need to arrive here on August 30th for the first staff meeting and to settle in, so I will see you then."

We headed out of the door, and before I apparated, I said, "Thank you, Albus. This really means a lot to me." And then I was gone.

This time I arrived on the doorstep of number 13. I rapped on the door a couple of times and the door swung open a minute later. Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of me, and her bottom lip quivered as she said, "H-Harry? Is it…is it really you?"

I nodded and held out my arms, and Hermione leapt into them. She smelled just like I remembered. Of course, in my brain, I had just seen her yesterday. She pulled back and asked, "When did you wake?"

"About three in the morning. Why didn't you answer last night?" 

Hermione looked down at the ground and spoke nervously, "I...um…I…well…I was at Kyle's."

I was confused. "Who's Kyle?"

"Before I tell you, you have to understand something. They told us that you were never going to wake up. So about six months ago, everyone finally persuaded me to move on and…well…Kyle's my boyfriend."

My stomach twisted painfully and my heart was stabbed with the knife of dread. "But I promised you that I would come back. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Hermione looked back up to me and her beautiful brown eyes slowly filled with tears. "No, never. I just…it took me two and a half years to move on. You kept me waiting, and I couldn't wait anymore. Everyone else persuaded me into living life."

Anger boiled in the pit of my stomach. "To MOVE ON? You said you'd love me forever! So what was that, a lie?"

Her tears fell and ran down her face. "I've never lied to you, Harry. But circumstances change. I love Kyle now." Those four words broke me; I could feel my heart shatter in my chest. "I'm sorry, Harry."

I replied scathingly, "Yeah, whatever. You obviously didn't feel the same as me, I should've never trusted you with my heart." Hermione's face twisted into a pained grimace, and I triumphed in my small victory. "Have a good life with Kyle. I hope you're happy," I said sarcastically.

I fought back tears as I turned and briskly walked to my house. I had my hand on the knob when Hermione called, "Harry!"

I stopped, but didn't look over. "I really am sorry."

I looked over at the beautiful woman crying on the front doorstep. The love of my life…the woman that hurt me worse than Voldemort ever had. "What the hell is that supposed to do for me? You think that it takes away the pain?" Hermione shook her head quickly. "Do you think that I give a damn if you're SORRY!" I shook my head at her. "It was nice knowing you, Hermione. Goodbye." She let out a sob and crumpled onto her knees, her face buried in her hands.

I quickly opened my door, and only when I was inside did I let my back slide down the wall and my tears fall.

**A/N: Please leave a review on the way out. They truly do warm the cockles of my heart!**


	3. Moving On

**A/N: I'm back! I won't be able to post two today, but please enjoy and leave a review on your way out!**

**Chapter 3 – Moving On**

**August 13****th****, 2001**

I woke up the next morning to the sight of Ron sitting in a chair in the corner. I sat up and rubbed at my eyes blearily before looking at him questioningly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you mate. That's why I'm here."

"What are you here for me for exactly?"

Ron was the most serious that I have seen him when he said, "Hermione told me about what happened yesterday."

"Don't say that name around me." My sadness of last night had turned into a raging anger at her. I couldn't believe what she had done.

Ron held up his hands at me in a defensive way. "Hey, mate. All I'm saying is that she hurt you, and you—"

"Hurt me?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Ron, she killed me. I'm dead. I'm done."

Ron stood up and knocked his chair back. "Harry, just shut your mouth and listen to what I have to say." My eyebrows rose in shock; Ron had never been like this before. "You were asleep for three years. The healers told us that you had a less than one percent chance of waking up. You were dead; we had lost you forever."

"But I'm—"

"Harry, I know. I'm telling you what seemed to be a reality; that we had lost you. Hermione would spend every free second of her life sitting by your bedside for two years, reading you books and telling you about everything that changed. She started skipping work and got less and less sleep; she was actually dying because she missed you so much. It took a lot of coaxing, but all of us got her to move on." He held up a hand as I opened my mouth to respond. "Mate, for two years she killed herself over you. Did you really want her to miss out on life just for you?"

"No, but she didn't have to run off with another guy to 'live life'."

"And what if you had never surfaced from your coma, would you have wanted her to pine over you for the rest of her life? To be alone for the rest of her life just for you?"

I thought hard about that one. That certainly wouldn't be fair for her. I sighed and said, "No. That wouldn't be right."

"Exactly. And isn't being in love supposed to mean that you will do whatever it takes to ensure her happiness?"

I sighed. "Yes, it does. That doesn't mean that I'm going to forgive her, though."

Ron grinned at me. "Yes, you will." He silenced me with a gesture from his hand. "Maybe not today, maybe not this month, maybe not even this year. But you will forgive her. You just took the first step to moving on, mate. It's all about acceptance."

"And what exactly am I accepting?"

"You're accepting that you and Hermione are through. You're accepting that you have to move on."

"And what's the next step?" It felt weird asking _Ron_ for advice.

"Actually move on. Live life, meet a new girl."

"How is that going to work? I still love Hermione."

"I never said that moving on would be easy. You may never stop loving her, but there are more women than men in this world. Maybe Hermione wasn't the one. Maybe you have yet to find your true soulmate."

"When did you get so wise?"

He laughed. "Ever since I married Luna. She opened my mind to many new things."

I laughed, got out of bed, and gave Ron a hug, slapping his back a couple times to make it manly. "Thanks mate. You're a good friend."

"No problem. Just keep what I said in mind."

"Sounds good. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll just see myself out."

"Alright."

And with that, Ron was gone. With Ron's departure came an onslaught of feelings. Now that I was alone, there was nothing to distract me from the pain. I would live life eventually, I just really needed to let go of Hermione first.

I ate a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs with images of Hermione invading my head. When we professed our love for each other on Christmas of our seventh year. Our first kiss that very same day, at the Christmas Ball. Walking around the lake, holding hands.

And then it hit me. She was gone, she would never be mine. I buried my head into my elbow and sobbed at the breakfast table. A pain ten times what I felt yesterday gripped my heart and I began hyperventilating. _I can't believe it. I love her, and she doesn't love me anymore._

My depression started right then and there. For the next two weeks, I was a hermit. I called Dobby and asked him if he wanted to work for me, and he happily agreed to do so. I sent him out on errands for food and had him cook it for me. I didn't shave; I really didn't even move much. I would either sit at my desk working on preparing my lessons, or I would be teaching myself how to play the grand piano in the sitting room. I would use a cleaning charm in place of bathing. I worked only in the sitting room with candles lighting it. I actually didn't think of Hermione often; my work and the piano saved me from that.

**August 26****th****, 2001**

I had just finished my lesson plans for good and was looking for something to do. I rushed over to the piano as images of Hermione began to bombard my head. Just as I started playing the first few notes of Beethoven's fifth, which I had really come to enjoy playing, I heard a knock on the door. I crept down the hallways, not making a sound. I gently grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. I quickly squeezed my eyes shut as the sun bombarded my vision. I grabbed the visitor by the front of his shirt and hauled him inside before slamming the door behind him.

"Bloody hell, Harry. What was that for?"

My voice was croaky from its lack of use over the last two weeks. "The sun. It hurts my eyes."

"Why were your wards so powerful? I finally just broke them after two weeks!"

"No visitors allowed."

Ron used his wand to open all of the curtains, and I threw my hands up in front of my eyes. "Harry, what did I tell you to do two weeks ago! This definitely isn't living your life!"

"I don't want to live my life without Hermione."

"Holy Merlin, Harry! I thought we went over this! You accepted the fact that it wasn't meant to be."

"Did I actually ever say that I accepted it? I just said that love meant making her happy."

"And she's happy! You should be, too."

"I can't. I can't stop thinking about her."

Ron sighed, and said, "I know. That's why I'm doing this. You have a date on the 29th."

"What? Ron, no! Why?"

"Because I don't like seeing you like this. You just got out of a coma, and nobody's been able to see you because you're being an idiot. You're going to go on a date with Rachel. She's a muggle, but she knows about magic. She's one of Ginny's friends. I know that you'll like her, she's your type." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "And I heard that she likes men in glasses."

I chuckled and slapped Ron on the back. "You know what, Ron? I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I try, Harry. I try."

With Ron guiding my recovery, I got along quickly. I got cleaned up and finally shaved off the scruffy beard that I was developing. Over the next two days, Ron and I packed up everything that reminded me of Hermione and put it in the attic. Ron forced me to think of Hermione, to let it all out. I cried a fair few times, but by the end of the 28th it seemed that my Hermione depression was drawing to a close. I could do this. This time, I was really moving on.

**A/N: Wow, this chapter was supposed to include his date with Rachel, but I just ran out of time this morning and I **_**really**_** wanted to post today. So…sorry, but you're going to have to wait until tomorrow for his date (and a fun little plot twist)!**


	4. Rachel Adams

**A/N: In response to all of the reviews saying that Harry moved on too quickly, I have to disagree. I've always seen Harry as a strong individual that moves on quickly. Take Sirius for example. There were really only those last few pages in OOTP that had him depressed. Also, he's always been a loyal friend, and grew up friendless as a child. Hermione is one of two people that really understand him; a true best friend. I also think that he doesn't have it in him to be that angry at a best friend for so long. So combine his strength and the fact that he was best friends with Hermione for 7 years, I think that he would at least **_**try**_** to move on quickly, and quite possibly make amends with the situation.**

**And I don't want to ruin anything, but in this chapter you **_**just might**_** *wink wink* find out that he's not as over her as he seems to be!**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**Chapter 4 – Rachel Adams**

**August 29****th****, 2001**

On the morning of my date, I exchanged quite a few galleons for muggle money and purchased an Audi R8 for all muggle occasions. I had attained my license in between the end of my 7th year and when I went into my coma.

Around 5 P.M., I started getting ready for my date. I put on a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans, and then put on some cologne that Ron had loaned me. I stepped out of my house and went out to my car. I could hear muffled shouting coming from Hermione's house as I opened the driver's door. A man that I could only assume was Kyle stormed out of the house and shouted something that I couldn't quite make out. Hermione stepped into the doorway to shout back, "I don't care what you think! You're wrong! You don't understand!" Then she slammed her door and Kyle apparated.

I felt a sense of satisfaction that: 1. Hermione was just fighting with Kyle, and 2. Seeing Hermione didn't evoke a response from me other than a slight tightening of my stomach. It felt more like a wistful longing. It was really happening, I was finally moving on.

I drove to the restaurant, which was a pretty nice steakhouse. I went inside and was seated in a booth near the wall. I only had to wait a couple minutes when a beautiful woman walked up to me and asked, "Harry Potter?"

I took in her appearance for a couple seconds before responding. Standing at a tall 5"10', she had gorgeous legs, brilliant blue eyes behind fashionable rectangular glasses, and long, blonde hair. Her skirt and tank top hugged her curves in all the right places. I smiled at her and held out my hand, and responded, "That's me!"

She seemed to be bold and flirty as she took my hand and sat opposite from me, for she said, "Wow, you look way more gorgeous than Ginny told me."

Not being the best with women, I blushed and pretended to be finding a more comfortable position in my seat without responding. She raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a small smile before I realized what she was expecting. "And you look…very pretty."

She gave me a mock-pout, batted her eyelashes, and asked, "Pretty?"

I chuckled and said, "Alright, you got me. You look beautiful."

She smiled at me and replied, "Thanks!" before picking up her menu and looking over it.

I did the same, and we fell into a comfortable silence. It was weird to explain, but I already felt at ease with Rachel. After we had ordered—she got fillet and a salad, and I got a soup with my porterhouse—I asked her, "So, Rachel? What do you do?"

"Well, I just moved back to London after receiving my law degree from Oxford."

"Wow, that sounds amazing. Which branch of law do you want to go into?"

"Well, criminal law definitely seems like it would be the most entertaining. And what about yourself?"

"I'm actually going to be a professor starting in…I guess only 2 days from now."

She whispered 'wow' to herself before whispering to me, "At Hogwarts?"

I nodded and she smiled at me as the waitress returned and served our food. As I ate, a sudden image popped into my head, like one of my Voldemort visions. It was of me and Hermione, sitting in the Three Broomsticks during our first date, and how beautiful she looked. How whenever she looked at me, she would smile a smile that would make my knees weak.

I snapped myself back to the present to find that my stomach was twisted into a painful knot and I had a lump in my throat. I quickly shoved a mouthful of soup into my mouth as I fought back tears. _I thought I was moving on, what the hell is happening?_

"Are you okay, Harry?" I snapped my eyes up from my soup to find Rachel searching my face with worried eyes. _Just like Hermione always would_.

"Er…yeah, I'm fine. I just need to use the restroom really quickly. Please excuse me for just a moment."

I strolled quickly into the men's restroom and splashed some water onto my face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror above the sink and told myself, "Come on, Potter. She's gone now. Pull yourself together, man." I wiped my face off with some paper towels and went back to my booth.

I knew that Rachel could tell I didn't have to go to the bathroom by the knowing look on her face. I knew for sure when she laid her hand on mine and softly said, "Ginny told me what happened, and just to let you know, it gets easier."

I smiled weakly. "I hope you're right. And for the record, you're certainly helping."

She laughed an infectious laugh and replied, "Good, I'm glad." She sighed and continued. "Look, Harry. I really like you—"

"Good. I really like you, too."

She gave me a quick smile before continuing. "I'm glad. But if this is too soon for you, maybe we should wait and try again when you're ready."

I sighed and replied, "I don't know how long it will take to completely be over her, but I _do _know that it's impossible for me to have her now. I want to do this. I truly think that this is good for me."

She gave me a comforting smile and lightly squeezed my hand. "Good, because to be honest, I really want to do something like this again soon."

I chuckled and said, "Me too."

After that, dinner passed in a comfortable silence. We finished, and when the waitress came with the bill, I had to beat back Rachel until she let me pay. She finally reluctantly agreed, and not too soon after, we were outside of the restaurant. As we were walking outside, Rachel said, "Oh, I almost forgot! Ginny told me to tell you that 'you better be a gentleman and give Rachel a ride home.'"

I laughed loudly and said, "That's Ginny for you. Do you think that she might just be trying to get us together? And it doesn't really matter; I would've given you a ride home anyway."

We got into my new car, and I asked her where she lived, which was just a few streets away from Grimmauld Place. As I was driving, we talked some more, and got to know each other a little better. Near the end of the ride, Rachel asked, "Do you mind if I see your place? It would be interesting to see if and how the magical world lives differently."

I said that it was no problem, and we pulled up to my house a couple minutes later. As we got out of the car, Hermione's door opened. Apparently, she and Kyle made up for he was walking down the steps with Hermione smiling at him. I stiffened until I felt warm fingers intertwine with mine, and looked down to see Rachel smiling up at me. We walked up to my house holding hands, and had almost made it to the door when I felt Hermione's eyes on me. I saw her stiffen out of the corner of my eye, and heard her door slam a tad harder than necessary as she went inside. Rachel and I made it inside, and I smiled gratefully at her and said, "Thanks."

"No problem. Good job by the way, you recovered quite nicely."

"Only because you were there. She probably would've tried talking to me, then I would've had to shout at her again."

I led her to the sitting room, and we sat down on one of the sofas. I felt her eyes on me, and I turned to find her scrutinizing me. After a minute, she sighed and said, "Harry, I feel for you, I really do. But—"

"Don't. Don't tell me that what she did was acceptable."

She laid a warm hand on my arm and said, "Harry, listen to me. You were in a coma for three years. I hate to tell you this, but the world kept moving. I know that you still love Hermione, and I know that you'll always have a place for her in your heart." She pondered something for a minute before continuing. "Let me tell you something. I had a boyfriend for two years, and thought that I was in love with him, but he cheated on me. I hated him, but I couldn't get over him. I finally invited him over for lunch, and we talked, and became friends again. I finally understood that we weren't meant to be." She gave me a soft smile. "I know that you miss her. You just want to talk to her, see her smile, and laugh with her. According to Ginny, you two had a great friendship and then a great relationship. So, please try something. Just talk to her. Get past the fact that you were together at one point and start over. It will be hard, but you can do it."

I chuckled weakly. "Are you sure you shouldn't be a psychologist?" Because she was right. I missed Hermione so badly. I wanted to hate her, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. And there was something about Rachel that seemed to make me think more clearly, just like Hermione used to do for me. But I did still have some doubts. "I don't know though, Rachel. I can't hate her and I do miss her, but I think I still have quite a bit of anger to vent in her direction."

"That's perfectly understandable. Don't bottle it up, but don't completely explode on her. Talk it through with her, but make it perfectly understandable to her that you understand where she's coming from, even if you don't."

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, until I finally spoke. "I know that I can't have her anymore, and you have definitely made it easier to accept that."

She smiled at me. "How so?"

"By just being you. I can't explain it, but I felt perfectly at ease with you the moment I met you tonight."

Her grin kind of took on a sexy tone and she spoke huskily, "If you know that she can't be yours anymore, is there room for a new woman in your life?"

"Yeah, I think there is." It was getting hot, and my jeans were tightening because of the look she was giving me.

She started breathing more heavily, and said, "You haven't shown me your bedroom yet."

I held out my hand and she took it, then we raced upstairs to my room. I kicked the door shut and was immediately pinned to the door with Rachel's soft lips on mine. She brought her hands up under my shirt and traced my abs, and all rational thought flew out of my head.

We were laying in my bed in post-coital bliss, and I was almost asleep when I said the most stupid thing I've ever said before. I was kind of hazy, and in that state between waking and sleep, when I said, "Mmm. That was amazing, Hermione."

My eyes shot open and Rachel sat bolt upright. I grabbed her arm and tried to salvage the situation, "Rachel, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of her while we were doing it. I just…almost asleep…memories…" I couldn't find the right words.

She got out of bed anyway and started putting on clothes. I expected her to start shouting, but when she was dressed, she looked back up at me with a sad smile on her face. "It's okay, Harry. I understand. Just…call me when you're ready. I had a great time tonight."

"How are you going to get home? I can take you if you want."

"That would be great."

So, five minutes later found me in my car, with Rachel stepping out. She wrote her number down on a small scrap of paper, gave me a quick kiss on my cheek, and went inside.

As I was driving home, I berated myself for being such an idiot. I went back upstairs to my room and got back in bed. I fell asleep with the knowledge that I really wasn't over Hermione yet. I really liked Rachel, so I decided to take her advice. I would take Hermione to lunch sometime, once some of my anger dissipated, because I needed this to end. My dreams tormented me with images of my time spent with Hermione.

**A/N: So, there it is! Please tell me what you think on your way out!**


	5. Hogwarts

**A/N: I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my reviewers! You guys are great, I really love the feedback!**

**Just to let you all know, I have the outline for this story already written, and I don't plan to change too much. I didn't want to waste a bunch of time by having Harry down and depressed the whole time because I think that would be kind of boring, so I decided to have him move on quickly. I understand that some of you might find this unrealistic, but that's just how I did it. And hopefully I'll make his forgiveness plausible.**

**If you want a depressed and storming Harry after Hermione leaves him, then you'll want to read what will most likely be my next story: **_**Happiness.**_** (I don't quite know the order that I want to post what I already have written.)**

**Another notice: I don't know exactly when I'm going to post next. I might be going to Lake Tahoe for a couple weeks to hit the slopes, but the cabin has no internet access! :( **

**I'll try to update as soon as possible, but please don't get too angry if it's a while until my next post!**

**Please enjoy, and leave me some more lovely reviews, I love it!**

**Chapter 5 – Hogwarts**

**August 30****th****, 2001**

I got up bright and early, albeit a tad depressed. I magically packed up all of my belongings and stepped out of my door to apparate. I took a deep breath of the calming morning air before apparating to Hogsmeade.

There were carriages waiting to take the teachers to the school, and I ended up in a carriage with Professor Slughorn. "Harry, m'boy! How great to see you!"

"Hello, Professor Slughorn."

"Harry, Harry, Harry. We're colleagues now, call me Horace!"

"All right then. Did you have a good summer?"

"Oh yes. I like the down time, but I didn't realize how much I missed teaching until I came back. I really love teaching."

I smiled at him, and we stepped out of the carriage as it arrived at the castle. "Hopefully I like it just as much."

"Oh, there's no doubt. There is nothing better than having your students end up successful and knowledgeable."

We arrived in the staff lounge, which I had never seen before. It had quite a few comfortable armchairs arranged in a circle, which I assumed was a temporary arrangement for the meeting. I sat down in between Slughorn and the arithmancy professor, Professor Vector. I spent the ten minutes remaining for the meeting to start wondering who the transfiguration professor was. Professor McGonagall had been personally killed by Voldemort, and I had been in a coma before the new school year had started. Just as the clock struck 8, the door opened and I stifled a groan. _Of course, of all the people_.

Hermione Granger walked into the room, her nose buried in a transfiguration book. _This is going to be a long year_. She put a bookmark to mark her place, closed the book, and sat down opposite me. Her eyes met mine, and hers widened in shock before she let them close and leaned her head back against the chair. Professor Dumbledore started the meeting. "Well, now that we are all here, we can get started. We have a new member of the staff following Professor Lupin's retirement. I don't really think that he needs an introduction, but the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is none other than Harry Potter." A smattering of applause and Slughorn's boom of congratulation issued from my fellow teachers, even Hermione, who was steadfastly staring at the floor. "Let's try our best to help him out throughout the year. And since Hermione is our newest professor besides Harry, she will be his mentor and guide this year." _Oh crap_. "Changing subjects, we have to be more alert about student's copying off each other this year. It seems as though it is happening more and more often, and we cannot let our students shortchange themselves out of a proper education. Also, we have—"

I tuned out Dumbledore, even though I knew I should be listening. I couldn't turn off my brain as it drifted to my emotions and thoughts concerning this new development with Hermione. I really didn't feel up to being even cordial with her yet, but I knew that I had to get over her. I really liked Rachel, but I needed to be over Hermione first before I moved on with Rachel. I knew that I couldn't have Hermione, but it was hard to let go. My thoughts continued in this train until Dumbledore dismissed us half an hour later with a, "And let's make this year productive!"

I got up and exited the staff room slowly, to find Hermione waiting for me. She still didn't look at me, but said, "I need to show you your quarters and even though you went here, a grand tour." And with that, she set off quickly, and I followed a good ten feet back. As we walked, memories washed over me like a tidal wave. We passed the Great Hall, where many a meal and laughs took place. I remembered Hermione forcing me to eat in my first Quidditch match, and looking over newspapers for news of Voldemort in later years. We passed the third floor corridor, and I was hit with the image of Hermione hugging me, and saying, _'You're a great wizard, Harry_.' We passed the hospital wing, and I was hit with the most images yet. Hermione, frozen. Hermione, laying there after Dolohov's curse. Snape shouting at me after Hermione and I freed Sirius. We continued on and passed the Room of Requirement. An underground resistance, started with Hermione's brilliant idea. We passed quite a few windows, and I saw the lake; the lake that Hermione would walk around almost every day while holding hands and talking about everything and nothing. It really seemed as though my brain was sending me a message. When we passed the Gryffindor entrance, I saw Hermione sitting there, helping me with Cho and Ginny, even though she had liked me since third year.

And then it hit me. I missed her; I missed her so much. All of those good times were gone. Was I just being a major asshole? Hermione had always been there for me, and I was throwing away everything that we had together because she moved on while I was in a coma that it seemed I would never wake from. Rachel was right. The world _did_ move on—life moved on—and I was still living in the past. We finally arrived where I would stay; just a little farther than the DADA room. I heard Hermione take a shaky breath, and say, "Well, here's your room. Just choose your password, and you're set."

"What if a student needs something?"

"The knocker on the door will read the magical signature and stress level of the person who's knocking. You can decide if you want to answer, although it is mandatory to answer if it's a student knocking." A couple of seconds of silence passed before Hermione said, "Well, I hope you have a good year, Professor Potter."

It was her use of 'Professor Potter' that got me. I couldn't stay angry at her; it just wasn't in my nature. Hermione turned to leave, but I grabbed her sleeve. " Hermione." She stopped and turned around, her big brown eyes filled with unshed tears. "Hermione, my name is Harry." She looked quizzically at me, and I continued. "I…I miss you, Hermione. And I understand what you must have gone through while I was in my coma. You were always there for me, and to tell you the truth, I kind of feel like an asshole for what I said to you."

Hermione gave me a watery smile and shook her head. "No, you were right to be angry, it's a natural response."

"Well, I just wanted to apologize for what I said, and that maybe it just wasn't meant to be. I was being selfish; I was mad that life had moved on without me." Things were still kind of tense between us, even though I just said all of that. "So…do you maybe want to grab a bite to eat for lunch tomorrow down at the Three Broomsticks?"

Suddenly, Hermione tackled me in her bear-hug and she was crying into my shoulder. I patted her back, and forced the tightening in my stomach and chest to go away. "Oh, Harry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. I miss you, too. I'd love to catch up with you tomorrow."

It was hard, but I had done it. It still felt weird, but less so. I pulled her back to arms length and gave her a small smile before saying, "It's all right, Hermione. I forgive you; I understand. I'll meet you at noon tomorrow."

Hermione left, and I took a deep breath. I did it. I was really accepting the fact that Hermione was no longer mine. I chose 'Chudley Cannons' as my password and put my stuff inside. It was a pretty nice room, with a large, king-size bed, a very comfortable-looking armchair sitting in front of a nice mahogany desk, and quite a few empty bookshelves.

I took my school stuff down the hall to my classroom and set up shop. It took pretty much all day, because I had to rearrange quite a few desks a couple of times to find a good set-up that I liked. I ate lunch with the staff, and most of the meal passed with the other professors spouting off teaching advice in my direction. Dinner passed much the same.

I got into bed and read some stuff about what my first month of lessons covered. After that, I stayed up thinking of Rachel, and about how nice it would be to take her out again after I assessed the situation with Hermione following tomorrow's lunch. I had forgiven her, I was really doing it. And although Hermione had crushed my heart, I found it easier to forgive her and sort out this mess once I had understood Hermione's situation exactly. I had lost Hermione, but I had gained a new beautiful, smart, and funny woman to spend my time with. Things were definitely looking up.

**A/N: So it really seems that Harry is moving on. Next chapter, you'll gain some insight as to how Hermione feels about all of this, and **_**especially**_** Rachel.**

**I understand that this chapter may not have been to all of your liking, but I definitely have a destination that I'm marching to. Once again, if you want a depressed and angry (and drunk) Harry after Hermione leaves him, read what will most likely be my next fic: **_**Happiness**_**.**

**If I don't go to Tahoe, I may start posting more than one story at once, so look out for those!**

**Please please please leave a review on your way out, they truly do mean a lot to me! **


	6. Hogsmeade and an Apology

**Ahhh! Two weeks! Good news, though—while I was in Tahoe I wrote about ten more stories. (Yay for insomnia!)**

**Bad news. I won't be posting **_**Happiness**_** next, because I'm not so sure about it right now.**

**Good news. My next story, **_**Decisions**_**, literally came to me in a dream. I dreamed the whole story, woke up, and wrote it down! (And I don't think its half bad!)**

**Bad news. For Lycus, at least. Please don't flame me too harshly after you read this chapter. **

**Remember, I'm trying to put a different kind of spin on this story. I don't want anybody to expect what's coming next! Then I'll just be another author that follows the norm! Plus, I think it's kinda funnier this way. Trust me—I think that you'll all like it.**

**AND ALWAYS KEEP FAITH FOR HARRY AND HERMIONE!**

**Chapter 6 – Hogsmeade and an Apology**

**August 31, 2001**

I woke up pretty early on Saturday, and went down to eat breakfast, where Slughorn sat next to me. He gave me even more teaching advice, which I was actually kind of getting tired of. I quickly excused myself and headed down to Hogsmeade a bit early to reacquaint myself with the village.

The first place I went into was the new store that occupied the building previously held by Zonko's—the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I stepped inside and was immediately set upon by the twins.

"Harry, how's it going?" asked Fred.

"Quite good. I never got the chance to ask, but how's everything going with you two?"

George grinned. "Harry, you made us into the most successful wizarding businessmen of the last decade. Business is booming, especially here in Hogsmeade."

"I can imagine," I said. "What about Ron, and Ginny, and your mum and dad?"

"Bad news. Ron…er…got Luna pregnant." The twins both had horrified looks on their faces.

"Why is that bad news? That's great news!"

Both Fred and George looked at me like I was crazy. "You're saying that it's great news that _ickle Ronniekins_ is going to be a father? He can barely even take care of himself!"

"Come on. I'm sure that he will be a fine father. You two are just overreacting."

Fred and George raised an eyebrow at each other before changing the subject. George rubbed his neck awkwardly before asking, "So…um…how's stuff going with Hermione?"

I smiled at them. "Great. Really great. I'm actually having lunch with her in the Three Broomsticks today."

Fred gave me a weak smile and asked, "So…are you…er…moving on, then?"

"Well, I'm definitely trying to. I really liked Rachel—I'm definitely going to apologize to her and hopefully take her out again. I really think I'm doing well." I grinned at them.

The twins were looking at me like I sprouted a new head. Fred cleared his throat after a short silence and said, "Okay, Harry. Good for you. Have fun with Hermione."

I said goodbye and left before walking around the rest of the village. It was pretty much the same as I remembered, except for the fact that Madam Puddifoot's had gone out of business.

When it was approaching noon, I went into the Three Broomsticks and got a table. I only had to wait a few minutes when Hermione came in, wearing jeans and a nice T-shirt.

She sat down, and there was a short, uncomfortable pause before Rosmerta came and took our orders. I spoke right away to avoid another awkward silence. "So what's been going on the past few years?"

Hermione visibly relaxed a little before responding. "Well, Kingsley is the Minister, which is good, mainly because he passed quite a few beneficial laws for werewolves. It's against the law to discriminate in the case of hiring for a job. Not that the laws actually prevent that, but it's a step in the right direction."

Rosmerta brought our food back. We ate in silence for a couple seconds before Hermione asked, "What have you been up to these last few weeks?" 

_Getting over you_, said a nasty voice in my head. On the outside, I smiled at Hermione and said, "Mostly just preparing to teach. New job, you know. Want to make sure I'm prepared."

Hermione smiled back at me. "That's always a good idea. I'm surprised you actually prepared in advance without me breathing down your neck."

I inwardly cringed. "Yeah, it was definitely difficult," I lied. I quickly changed the subject. "When did you start teaching?"

"Well," said Hermione in her Hermione-ish way. "I spent the first year training to be a healer, but I couldn't do it…not with…"

"Me there?" I supplied helpfully.

"Yes," she replied awkwardly. "Dumbledore came to me and offered me the job that following summer. This will be my third year teaching. It's really great; I'm sure you'll love it."

We went back to our food. As I sat eating, the thought flitted through my mind that this wasn't going as well as I had hoped. I needed to prove it to myself. I _had_ to get over her—I couldn't continue like this. I just wanted to spend more time with Rachel.

We finished up and left the Three Broomsticks. As we trudged up to the castle, a sudden idea hit me. There _was_ a way to officially end this once and for all. I just needed to get it through my thick head that I could never have her again. "I know. We should do a double date!"

"Um…I don't know, Harry," said Hermione apprehensively.

But I was pretty sure that this is exactly what I needed. "C'mon, Hermione. You can go with Kyle, and I can go with Rachel." Hopefully Rachel would forgive me.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "You—you already have a date?"

"Yeah. I went out with her a couple days ago." Hermione was scowling for some reason, but she sometimes did that while she was thinking hard, so I wasn't worried. "What do you say? Dinner and a movie on Saturday?"

"Um…I don't…"She sighed. "Alright. I'll floo Kyle."

By this time we were at the doors of the castle. "Great! I'll call Rachel!" Hermione grimaced a little again. "Are you okay, Hermione?"

She gave her head a little shake. "What?...Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to…finish getting ready for classes."

I smiled at her. "Alright. I'll see you around."

Hermione left, and I headed up to my room to call Rachel with the cell phone that I charmed to work around Hogwarts.

"Hello, Rachel? It's Harry. Look, I really want to apologize for what happened the other night."

"It's fine, Harry. _Really_, I understand."

"Well, I've straightened myself out; I really am over her now. We had lunch together and we're friends again."

"That's great, Harry! It sounds like you're really making good progress."

I said, "Yeah, I really am. Now I'm going to be straightforward with you."

"Good. I hate it when people beat around the bush. What are you going to be straightforward with me about?"

"Here's the thing: I really like you. I had a great time with you on Thursday, and I want to take you out again on Saturday."

"What kind of date would this be?"

"Well, it'll actually be a double date with Hermione and Kyle. We'll probably get some grub and see a movie."

"Hmm. Do I want to be taken out by the nicest and best-looking man I've ever met?" she asked teasingly. "Let me see…of course!" 

"Awesome! I'll probably pick you up around six."

"Great. I'll see you later."

"Alright. Bye."

**Okay, there it is. And Lycus, if you're still reading: I'm sorry, but I really like it this way. I'm trying to make this the opposite of what everyone expects.**

**Flame me, hate me, praise me, love me—it's all good.**


	7. Teaching and Double Dating

**And here we go—Chapter 7. Always remember that I'm trying to keep you on your toes.**

**I also updated my profile, so if you want a good gauge of what I'm like, check there.**

**Chapter 7 – Teaching and Double Dating**

**September 6, 2001**

My first four days of teaching were great. Teaching really is fulfilling.

Problems did arise on my first Friday, though. I was with my 7th years in a double DADA lesson just before dinner, when the Head Boy and Head Girl, both Gryffindors, stood up while I set the class to practice.

The first thing I noticed was that they were holding hands. Then I noticed the Quidditch Captain's badge that the Head Boy was wearing. I also realized that the Head Girl was the student that raised her hand to answer every question that I asked. The similarities between me and Hermione from three years ago were astounding.

"Professor Potter," said the Head Girl, Natalie Collins. "Can we make an announcement?"

"Sure." I stood up and addressed the class. "All right, all of you. The Head Boy and Girl would like to make an announcement."

The class fell silent and Natalie said, "We just wanted to let you all know that there will be a dance on Halloween." The class started whispering to one another, and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes when almost every single girl glanced at me. _Of course_. "There will be an announcement posted on the notice boards, of course, but we wanted to explain the muggle tradition of wearing costumes. Professor Dumbledore allowed us to reinstate this tradition after a ten-year hiatus. The idea is that you wear a costume, whether it be funny, scary, or even sexy." The girls giggled. "If you're going with someone, as in a date, you usually dress to match each other. All costumes must be approved by your head of house, for the reason that there hasn't been a Halloween ball for ten years was because some girls just wore lingerie as a costume." More giggles, and the Head Girl sighed. "So that's it, any questions?"

A Hufflepuff glanced at me and asked, "Can we ask professors to the dance?"

Natalie glanced at me, and I raised an eyebrow at her. "Um…I think that if a professor were to take a student to the dance, that professor would probably be sacked."

"Well," said a Ravenclaw, "I'm going to check with Professor Dumbledore on this one"

The bell rang at that instant, and as everyone was packing up, I called, "A foot on identifying a lethifold and surviving an attack due next week!"

Once everyone was gone, I hurriedly locked my door and dashed to Hermione's classroom, where she was grading a test. _Of course she gave a test in the first week_. "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she brought her head up to face me with her eyes on the paper, then wrote a score before actually looking at me.

"Please tell me it's against the rules for a student and professor to go to a dance together," I said desperately.

"Sorry, Harry. That's perfectly acceptable as long as nothing sexual occurs. A rule that's always puzzled me," she said thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

"There's a Halloween dance, and every girl in my last class looked at me when that same question was asked. It's just going to be weird—I mean, I'm their teacher."

Hermione gave me a somewhat forced smile. "Why not just take…Rachel?"

_Why does she keep saying Rachel's name like that?_ "Well, of course I'm going to ask her, but you know that won't stop any of them."

This time, Hermione gave me a real smile before saying, "That's true. Remember the Valentine's Ball in seventh year? Every girl must've asked you, even though they knew you belonged to _me_." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what she just said.

I stood there for a couple seconds, then cleared my throat loudly and said, "Yeah…well…Thanks, Hermione."

She was looking anywhere but me. "Um…sure…don't mention."

I fled as quickly as possible.

**September 7, 2001**

At 6:30 PM, I met Hermione in the entrance hall, and we walked out of the grounds and apparated—Hermione to Kyle's, and me to Rachel's.

Rachel answered the door in a long sleeve shirt with a low v-neck and a pair of jeans. 

"Hey Rachel, you look great!"

She smiled at me, then said, "And you look delicious."

I blushed, then held out my arm. She took it and I asked her, "Have you ever apparated?"

"Oh, I told Ginny you were taking me out, and she took me on a couple trial runs. Don't worry though; I only threw up the first time." She grinned at me.

I laughed, then said, "Okay, here we go!"

And with a crack and a horrible squeezing sensation, we arrived in front of a nice Italian place.

We went inside, and found Kyle and Hermione already sitting down; Kyle's arm draped lazily over Hermione's shoulders. I felt only the slightest twinge of jealousy, and then remembered that she would never be mine.

Kyle was a bit shorter than me, with light brown hair that was spiked up in the front and black, rectangular-framed glasses. He looked like a male form of Hermione, just without the crazy hair.

When Hermione's eyes fell on me and Rachel, her relaxed expression turned into a small scowl. We sat down, and Kyle took his arm off Hermione's shoulders to first take Rachel's hand, then shake mine. "So great to meet you, Harry." He had an American accent. "Hermione's told me so much about you." He looked into my eyes the whole time.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed."

"How so?"

"Well, most people fawn over me or stare at my scar the whole time we're speaking."

He smiled at me and said, "I thought that would probably be the case, and would get annoying."

"Well, thanks." I fished around in my brain for a subject. Kyle was nice, but I got the feeling that we'd never become great pals for some reason. "Do you like Quidditch?"

"Quidditch?" asked Rachel.

Hermione rolled her eyes at me and Kyle, muttered something that sounded like '_boys'_, and started a conversation with Rachel. For some strange reason, I had the feeling that the two of them would never be great friends either. "Played seeker for my school team over in Salem."

"I played seeker over here, too."

And with that, we started talking about Quidditch. Everything was a bit tense at the table, but nothing really happened. When the food came, we backed away from Quidditch and the girls re-entered the conversation.

I learned that Kyle was from Salem, Massachusetts, the magical capital of the states, and that he was now a healer at St. Mungo's.

When we finished, I leaned back and lazily draped my arm over Rachel's shoulders without thinking about it. Hermione's arm seemed to jerk of its own accord, and she knocked over a drink. She was blushing furiously as she cleaned it up, and I saw both Rachel and Kyle glance at Hermione quizzically, then surreptitiously glance at me.

We walked to the movie theaters, which were only a block away. I Kyle and I hung a little back from the girls.

I looked over at Kyle, who was walking beside me and said. "I'm going to tell you something, and I'm only going to tell you once." Kyle arched an eyebrow at me. "You seem like a nice guy, but if you break Hermione's heart, I swear to Merlin that you'll wish Voldemort got a hold of you when he was alive."

Kyle inclined his head, and said, "I understand."

We went into the movie and got seats near the middle. We were seeing the first of the Lord of the Rings movies, which were based on books that Hermione had apparently fell in love with when she was nine (**A/N: Yes, I know that the first one didn't come out until December 19****th****, but just deal with it if you've got a problem with it.**)

Kyle and I had the two girls sandwiched between us, and it turned out that the movie was pretty good—at least, based on the beginning it was. It became a little hard to concentrate when Hermione and Kyle began snogging like two teenagers. I could actually _hear_ their kissing, and I began fidgeting a tad uncomfortably. _Really, she couldn't have waited?_

I saw that Rachel was shivering, and went to take my jacket off to give it to her. But she saw what I was doing that stood up and plopped down on my lap. "If you take your jacket off, then you'll get cold, too," she whispered.

So we shared my jacket, and I saw Hermione glance at us before snogging Kyle more passionately.

They finally stopped when the fellowship was in the Mines of Moria to watch the battle scene. Hermione kept glancing at us throughout the movie, and with about twenty minutes left, Rachel whispered to me, "Do you mind if I distract you from the movie?"

I grinned at her. "That depends. How exactly are you going to distract me?"

"Like this." She pressed her lips to mine, her head tilted back and sideways, and I saw Hermione stare openly at us out of the corner of my eye. Kyle was asleep in the next seat over, and Hermione scowled at the screen as she watched the rest of the movie with Rachel and I playing tonsil hockey two seats away from her.

As soon as the movie was over, Hermione practically dragged Kyle out of the theater without saying goodbye to us. Kyle called a quick "See ya!" before they were gone.

Rachel and I walked out slowly, holding hands, and I said, "Hermione isn't usually like that. I don't know what got into her tonight."

Rachel arched an eyebrow at me, like _are you serious?_ "Men can be so daft sometimes," she muttered.

"What was that?" I asked.

She just smiled sadly at me and shook her head. I apparated us to her flat when we were safely away from muggle eyes, and I kissed her softly at her door.

"I had a really good time, Harry."

I smiled at her. "Good, I'm glad."

She gave me a sweet smile. "So, are you going to ask me out again…like, right now, for instance?"

I laughed, then said, "Next weekend?"

She beamed at me and said, "That sounds great."

She turned to go in her door, when I suddenly remembered. "Oh, Rachel." She turned around. "We're having a Halloween dance at the school I'm teaching at. It's also a night for teachers to relax. Would you like to go with me?"

"That sounds great. Bye!" With one last smile, she closed her door.

I apparated to Hogsmeade, where Hermione was waiting for me, scowling and deep in thought. I went up to her and asked, "What was up with you tonight, Hermione?"

She sighed as we started walking. "Um…It's that time of month."

_That explains it._ I winced, then said, "I'm sorry I asked." We walked in silence for a couple minutes. "Kyle seems pretty cool. He certainly cares about you."

"Yeah, he certainly does. Rachel seems really…nice." She was giving me her fake smile again.

When we got up to the castle, I stopped Hermione and said, "Hermione, what the hell is your problem with Rachel?"

Hermione glared at me. "I don't have problem with her. Why?"

I sighed and shook my head—nobody could get anywhere with Hermione when she went into defensive mode. "Good night."

Hermione didn't respond, and I went to my room. I fell asleep thinking, _Hermione obviously has a problem with Rachel, but what is it?_

**Well, there it is. I'm only planning for two more chapters, so this'll be over soon. I probably won't be posting long stories for a while. I'm trying to start small and build my way up. (Although, **_**Decisions **_**is only 3 chapters.) My next post will **_**most likely **_**be on Friday.**

**Hate it? Love it? Tell me in a review.**


	8. I'll Love You Forever

**A/N: As a special treat, I've decided to combine the last two chapters into one. Well, it's not really a treat, because independently, these chapters are too short.**

**Anyways…Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 – I'll Love You Forever**

**October 23, 2001**

Rachel and I went on a date every weekend after that, and we had a blast every time. We even had sex again without me calling her Hermione.

I kept trying to bring up the subject of Rachel with Hermione, but every time I brought up her name, Hermione would change the subject. I knew that she had a problem with Rachel—I just didn't know what it was.

My 5th, 6th, and 7th years wouldn't take no for an answer. They were also getting more and more desperate. I kept getting gifts, and I told them to stop, but they just wouldn't listen.

Then, on Friday the 23rd, the Head Boy and Girl had another announcement.

Natalie came up again, and said, "I'm proud to announce that Professor Dumbledore has approved casual Fridays from here on out. On Friday, we can all wear whatever we want—as long as it's appropriate, of course."

Every girl in the room giggled and looked at me, and I suddenly had a bad feeling that I wasn't going to like casual Friday.

**October 30, 2001**

And my sinister suspicion was correct.

That next Friday, I saw the skimpiest clothes I've ever seen on seventeen-year-olds—Natalie was the only one who wasn't showing as much skin as possible. Apparently, these clothes were perfectly acceptable, because I knew that they had just come out of Transfiguration with Hermione.

All of them were batting their eyelashes at me while I was teaching, and I kept thinking that I couldn't wait for the Halloween Dance to be over. I finally set them into groups to work on worksheets and sat behind my desk, futilely hoping that nobody would try anything on me during this double lesson.

The first attempt happened just 5 minutes after I set them into groups. That same Hufflepuff that asked if students and professors could go to dances together came up, and I rolled my wyes at the way she was swaying her hips.

"Professor, McKenzie and I have a question. Oops!" She had just dropped her quill on 'accident', and I quickly looked up as she went to retrieve it, because I knew that an ample amount of cleavage would be showing when she bent over—and it's just wrong. She was my student, for Merlin's sake!

I heard her huff—she had obviously just discovered that I hadn't been looking. I helped her with a question that a fourth year could've answered.

She turned around, and "Oops!" I sighed as she dropped her paper. I was expecting her to pick it up like a normal person, so I didn't have enough time to divert my eyes when she bent over at the waist. She was wearing pink panties under her tiny skirt, and written on them were, "Dance, Professor?"

I looked away and didn't acknowledge the fact that I had seen anything, and I heard another huff. I sighed, glad that it was over.

But it wasn't. By the end of class, every girl but Natalie had tried something similar on me, and I was so mad at them that I set them all extra homework. They groaned as they left class with 3 feet on the Manticore as homework, and I sighed, glad that class over for the week.

I spent the afternoon grading papers, and by the time it was dinner, I was done with my work for the weekend.

**October 31, 2001**

I picked Rachel up at noon, and we went to Hogwarts, where I had to instruct the gates to let her in. I gave her the grand tour, and the castle absolutely fascinated her. All of the girls we passed gave Rachel the evil eye, and when she busted out laughing when I told her why.

We headed down to Hogsmeade at around three to have a late lunch, and by 5 we were back in the castle. We put our costumes on—both as pirates (I know it's cheesy)—and headed down to the dance a little early to set up. We had fake skulls, giant pumpkins, the usual live bats, and Dumbledore had come through and booked the Weird Sisters again.

Hermione and I were on teacher supervision duty from 6 to 6:30, then we had the rest of the night off to just kick back and relax. Hermione and I sat down near the doors to the Great Hall and watched over the students while Rachel and Kyle chatted with Slughorn.

We sat in silence for a couple minutes, and Hermione started narrowing her eyes at Rachel. I sighed and opened my mouth to question her for the hundredth time, but I think she sensed the question, because she said, "How were the seventh years yesterday?"

I looked over to see her grinning with a twinkle in her eyes. "Why didn't you give them all detentions for dressing like that?"

She immediately shot back, "Why didn't _you_ give them all detentions for dressing like that?"

"Well, you hadn't, so I thought that they were still okay," I replied logically.

She laughed. "They all tried something on you, didn't they?"

I scowled at her. "Yes, they did, so I gave them three feet due next Friday."

Her eyes widened and she started laughing again. "You are _so_ mean."

I stuck my tongue out at her like a petulant 5-year-old. "At least I didn't give them a test in the first week."

We chatted for the rest of our shift and gave a couple kids detention for trying to spike the pumpkin juice, then we went to our dates and danced with them.

Some slow songs started around 10:30, and I asked Rachel, "Why won't you just tell me why Hermione doesn't like you?" The question was continuously nagging me.

Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed, but didn't answer—like usual.

I had a dance with Hermione and Rachel had a dance with Kyle near the end of the dance.

Hermione was having a great time with me and I was having a great time with her—until the song ended. I took my hand off Hermione's waist and stepped away from her, smiling. She suddenly got that shocked look on her face like she gets when she has an epiphany, and I looked at her quizzically. Tears welled up in her big, brown eyes, and she fled the Great Hall.

Rachel came up to me and asked, "What did you do to Hermione? I mean, I know you're a bad dancer, but she doesn't have to cry about it." She laughed at the scowl I gave her.

"_I_ didn't do anything. She just started crying and dashed once the dance was over."

Rachel started chewing her bottom lip—both she and Hermione did that when they were thinking hard—then said, "Why don't you make sure she's alright?"

I nodded. "Good idea. I'll be right back."

And with that, I left the Great Hall, searching the hallways for her. I told a couple snogging couples off, then finally found Hermione—passionately snogging Kyle in a deserted hallway.

I backed around the corner, blushing. Just a twinge of jealousy crept up, but I beat it down—I was over her. Just as I was turning around, I stopped as I heard Kyle say, "Hermione…Hermione. I love you so much. Make me the happiest man alive…Marry me, Hermione. Please marry me."

My eyes widened and I scurried—I didn't want to intrude upon their moment. This new jealousy was much harder to beat down, but I did it. And this time, when it left, I really felt that it was gone for good. It was over, there would be no more of this nonsense—she was getting married. I finally felt that sense of closure.

I went back to the dance, and Rachel asked, "Is she alright?"

I smiled at her. "She's absolutely fine."

Rachel and I danced the last dance together, smiling. I took her back home and went back to the castle, then promptly fell asleep.

**November 1, 2001**

I woke up and headed down to breakfast at 8. At 8:15, Hermione entered the Hall, and I smiled at her until I saw that her eyes were puffy and tinged with red—like she'd been crying. She hunched over her breakfast as she ate it, and when we were both done, I asked her to take a walk with me.

We got to the tree that we would always sit at in the warmer days of Hogwarts, and Hermione started crying. I hugged her and she clung to me, and I asked, "What's wrong, Hermione?"

Her sobs died down, and she sniffled and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Kyle and I broke up last night."

I blinked, taken aback. _I thought he proposed? What's going on?_ "What? Why?"

"Well…he proposed to me last night, and I declined. He understood my reasons, and he was very stoic and sweet about it. But still, I feel so bad, because I couldn't love him like he loved me"

"Why not?"

"For the same reason that I don't like Rachel," she replied simply.

"And what would that reason be?"

Hermione took a deep breath, and I knew that she was about to do something reckless. "Because…because of this."

She went on her tiptoes, and then her sweet, soft lips were on mine. My eyes closed and I moved my lips against hers.

My brain kicked in and screamed, _what are you doing? Rachel!_

I broke the kiss with a gasp, and Hermione started silently crying. "I…Hermione, I can't. I can't do this to Rachel."

She sighed. "I know. I just had to let you know."

"I'm sorry, Hermione." For some reason, I felt that I needed to say it. "Really, I am."

"It's my fault, don't apologize. You always keep your promises, yet I gave up on this one."

She walked away; shoulders slouched, looking at her feet. I stood there, thinking, until Hermione disappeared in the castle. _You kissed Hermione back!_

I suddenly felt really guilty, and I immediately left the grounds and apparated to Rachel's.

She answered in her pajamas, and smiled and said, "Harry! What a pleasant surprise!" I didn't think it was pleasant—frankly, I felt like vomiting.

She gave me a kiss, and I when I didn't kiss back, she pulled back, looking a little hurt and confused. "Harry? What is it?"

I sighed, then went inside and sat on her couch. She sat in an armchair opposite and just stared at me with an arched eyebrow. "I…I…Hermione and I kissed this morning, Rachel."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But isn't she with Kyle?"

"They broke up last night, because she loves _me_."

Rachel sighed and smiled at me sadly. "Harry...I think we should stop seeing each other."

My jaw dropped. "What? No! I love you, Rachel! It won't happen again!"

Rachel came over and sat next to me. "I love you too, Harry. And I'm not breaking up with you because of a kiss. I wasn't really expecting this relationship to last long—I knew Hermione would come to her senses eventually. I know you love me Harry, but it's not how you love Hermione, or how she loves you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I knew you two were still hopelessly in love with each other just by watching you two during our double date. Her eyes shone when she looked at you, and a small smile would come on your face when you looked at her. You two are made for each other, and I'm not standing in the way of true love."

I was on the verge of tears. "But I…I…I love you." But the words sounded hollow, empty—I knew that she was right. Who was I kidding? I was never over Hermione.

She gave me a soft kiss, then smiled at me and said, "You're a sweet man, harry. We have to stay friends. And stop it with that sad look," she laughed, "I knew that this was going to happen all along."

I hugged her and stood up. "We'll still be friends, Rachel. And…well, I'm sorry that I couldn't get over Hermione. I'll always love you, though. Maybe not as much as Hermione, but you'll always have a place in my heart. And…thanks. Thanks for filling the void."

She was still smiling, and followed me to her door. With my hand on the knob, I asked, "Can I still take you to dinner? Maybe…every other Saturday, or something?"

She laughed. "Are you paying?" she asked teasingly.

"Of course."

"Then I'll see you next Saturday. Now go, Hermione's waiting."

I smiled at her, stepped out of her house, and apparated to Hogsmeade. I went up to the castle and to Hermione's room, then knocked on her door. She answered, and she had obviously just wiped her face of tears, for her eyes were full of them.

"Hi, H-Harry. Do-do you want something?"

I smirked at her, and said, "Well, actually, now that you mention it, yes. I currently find myself out of a relationship, and I want to keep a promise that I made to a beautiful young woman." Her eyes widened, and I dropped the silly demeanor and whispered, "If I recall correctly, I believe that I said, 'I love you, Hermione. I'll love you forever.' And I believe that she made me a promise, too. I can't quite remember what she said, though.

She was smiling through her unshed tears, and her lower lip was trembling, but she took a shaky breath and whispered, "She said, 'I love you too, Harry. I'll always love you. Promise that you'll come back to me. Please promise.'"

My face was so close to hers that our noses were barely touching and I could feel Hermione's breath on my lips. "I'll always come back to you, Hermione. Always," I breathed, then pressed my lips to hers.

Our mouths moved gently against each others, and Hermione melted into me. We were smiling as we kissed.

The movements of our lips against each other's reminded us that we loved each other. They reminded us that we would love the other forever.

**A/N: The story's over. *Sniffle* **

**So there it is—the grand finale. As a side note, Kyle and Rachel end up living happily ever after.**

**Please leave a review, and make sure to stay tuned for my next fic that I'm starting on Monday: **_**Decisions.**_


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